“This one is an extension of my EC pick for 2024. The Ibis Ripley V5 and the Ripmo V3 share the same frame, with the exception of the shock, clevis, and eyelet hardware. That means that technically, you can swap back and forth with the right parts. Historically, bikes that could be two things in one usually resulted in some compromise(s) to make it all work.
That was my fear with the Ripley/Ripmo, but I am very pleased to find that Ibis figured out how to make both into amazing bikes. This was the bike that Shimano built up for me with the new XTR Di2 group, and it was a blast on the trails of Tucson. I definitely prefer the Ripmo V3 to the previous version, and the internal storage is really well done.
The only catch for me is that the Ripley V5 is so capable that it makes the Ripmo overkill on most of my trails back home. But that’s one of the things that draws me to this bike – keep the Ripmo fork, shock, clevis & hardware handy, and you have a Ripmo ready to go for big trips out West while keeping the shorter travel Ripley ready for daily missions back home.”